Technical guide 2 min read

Underfloor Heating Guide

Which floors work over underfloor heating and which do not, why construction decides it, and how to bring a new floor up to temperature without damaging it.

Engineered wood

Suitable

LVT

Suitable

Solid wood

Not suitable

Bespoke Oak

All systems

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Which floors work, and why

Suitability is decided by how the board is built, not by how it looks. Two floors can be visually identical and only one of them can go over a heated screed.

Engineered wood

Suitable. The cross layered core holds the board dimensionally stable through the warming and cooling cycle.

LVT

Suitable, and it conducts heat well. Glue down is the better of the two methods here.

Solid wood

Not suitable. A single piece of timber moves too much across the cycle and no fitting method compensates for it.

Bespoke Oak

Approved for all underfloor heating systems.

Good to know: This is the most common question we are asked before an order, and it is worth settling before you fall for a floor rather than after.

Fitting method over a heated floor

Heat has to travel from the screed into the room, and everything between the two slows it down. That is why the fitting method matters more here than in an unheated room.

Glue down puts the board in direct contact with the heated surface and is the better performer. A floating floor sits over an underlay, which is an insulating layer by design, so choose an underlay rated for underfloor heating and accept that the system will work slightly harder. Thick underlay chosen for acoustic comfort can undo a good heating system.

Preferred method

Glue down, for both engineered wood and LVT

If floating

Use an underlay rated for underfloor heating, and keep it as thin as the product allows

Herringbone and parquet

Full glue down, which suits underfloor heating well

Commission the system before the floor goes down

This sequence is not optional and it is where most underfloor heating problems start.

Run the system before fitting

A new screed has to be brought up to temperature and back down again before any floor covers it. This drives out construction moisture that would otherwise be trapped.

Turn it off and let it cool

Fit onto a cool floor, not a warm one. Boards laid onto a heated surface will move as it cools.

Test moisture after commissioning

The reading that counts is the one taken after the heating cycle, not before it.

Bring the heat back gradually

Raise the temperature in small steps over several days rather than in one go. It is the sudden change that damages timber, not the heat itself.

Reverse it slowly in spring

Coming down matters as much as going up. Turning the system off in one step is the same shock in the other direction.

Important: Stay within the surface temperature your heating manufacturer specifies. Exceeding it is the fastest way to damage a wood floor and it is not covered by any guarantee.

Living with it

A heated room is a drier room, and wood responds to that.

Watch the humidity

Heating season dries the air. If the room becomes very dry, joints will open slightly and close again in summer.

Do not block the floor

Large rugs and floor standing furniture trap heat underneath and create a hot spot the thermostat never sees.

Expect some seasonal movement

Small changes across the year are normal in a real wood floor and are not a fault.

Keep the same routine

Damp mop only, felt pads under furniture, mats at external doors.

What the guarantee covers: Our floors carry a 25 year structural warranty against delamination and structural failure under normal domestic use and correct installation. Fitting a solid wood floor over underfloor heating, or exceeding the specified surface temperature, falls outside it.

Choosing a floor for a heated room?

Engineered wood and LVT both work over underfloor heating. Order samples of each and decide with the material in front of you.

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Technical guide Subfloor Requirements Technical guide Moisture & Humidity Standards Fitting guide Engineered Wood Installation Guide

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